Door latch



Patented May 31, 1932 UNITED STATEfi PATENT OFFICE HARRIS M. WHITGOMB, F ALBANY, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 ALBANY HARDWARE SPECIALTY MFG. (10., OF ALBANY, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION OF WISCONSIN DOOR LATCH Application filed September 27, 1930.

' which can be quickly and easily assembled and applied to a door, and which is quite inexpensive to manufacture.

More specifically, the present invention has for its object to provide a latch, operable from either side of the door, in which the latch bar is mounted on one face of the door and is operatively connected to a handle projecting from the opposite face of the door and in which the latch bar and handle mechanism it are positively connected for simultaneous turning movement by means forming a rigid connection capable of withstanding rough usage without loosening the connection between the handle and latch bar.

A further object is to provide an interlocking connection between the handle, the latch bar and the bearing member in which the handle is mounted which serves to hold the handle and latch bar in place on the door.

Vith the above and other objects in view, the invention may be said to comprise the device as illustrated in the accompanying drawings hereinafter described and particularly set forth in the appended claims, together with such variations and modifications thereof as will be apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention appertains.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specifi- FT cation in which:

Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line indicated at 55 in Fig. 1.

The latch forming the subject matter of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawings applied to a door 1 supported on hinges 2 in the opening of a wall Serial No. 484,806.

3. To the edge of the door opening on the side opposite that to which the door is hinged, there is secured a keeper t in the form of a sheet metal member having an elongated body portion 5 overlying the face of the door jamb and secured thereto by means of screws 6, the body portion 5 of the keeper being preferably provided with a slot 7 to receive a pad-lock. The body portion 5 of the keeper projects outwardly from the face of the wall in the plane of the face of the door jamb and has an integral flange or bracing arm 8 which extends inwardly to the wall at an inclination and which is secured to the face of the wall by means of a screw 9. The projecting portion of the keeper is provided with inclined guide faces 11 on the upper and lower edges thereof and with notches 10 immediately adjacent the wall and at the inner ends of the guide faces 11 to receive a latch bar. The keepers 4: are reversible and may be attached. at either side of a door opening or may be used with a latch bar engageable with the upper or lower cam surface thereof.

The latch bar 12 as herein shown is formed from a flat metal strap and has its outer end portion bent back upon itself to form a handle 13. The latch bar 12 is held close to the face of the door and is restricted to limited vertical movement adjacent the free edge of the door by means of a retaining clip 14; which is of channel form and has a long flange 15 secured to the outer face of thedoor by means of screws 16. The clip 1 has a short outer flange 17 and is provided with a slot 18 in the web thereof through which the bar 12 extends. The inner end of the latch bar 12 is supported by a handle member 19 in the form of a rod having its outer end portion bent to provide a hand grip and having a straight inner end portion 20 which terminates in a flattened and widened end 21. The straight port-ion 20 of the handle member extends through the door and is journaled in an outer bearing plate 22 secured to the base of the door by means of screws 23 and in an inner bearing plate 24 secured to the opposite face of the door by means of screws 25.

The bearing plates 22 and 24 have openings 26 and 27 in which the straight arm 20 of the handle member fits, the openings 26 and 27 having top and bottom notches 28 through which the flattened end 21 of the handle may pass when the handle is turned to dispose the flattened end thereof in vertical position. The inner bearing plates 24 have an outwardly pressed center portion 29 in which the opening 26 is formed and this outwardly pressed portion has an outwardly projecting flange 30 along its inner vertical side edge which is provided with a slot 31 to receive the inner end of the latch bar 12. The latch bar 12 has an outwardly oflset inner end portion 32 which is provided with an elongated slot 33 in which the flattened end 21 of the handle member fits when the latch bar is in place on the door with its inner end projecting through the slot 31 in the flange 30 of the bearing plate and its outer end extending through the retaining clip 14. The latch bar 12 is yieldingly pressed toward latching position by means of a spring 34 in the form of a curved wire which has one end eXtending within the outwardly pressed portion 29 of the bearing plate 24 and engaged in an opening 35 in the bearing plate and its opposite end extending between the outwardly offset portion 32 of the latch bar and the face of the door and engaged in an opening 36 formed in the latch bar forwardly of the bearing plate 24.

In applying the latch to the door, the keeper 4 is attached in the proper position on the door jamb and a hole 37 is bored through the door at the proper place with respect to the keeper, the opening 37 being of a diameter to permit passage of the flattened end 21 of the handle member. The bearing plates 22 and 24 are then attached to opposite faces of the door with their openings registering with the hole 37 and with inner end of the spring 34 within the outwardly pressed center portion 29 of the inner bearing plate. The handle member 19 is positioned with the flattened end 21 alined with the notches 28 of the openings 26 and 2'? of the bearing plate and is inserted through the bearing plates. After the flattened end 21 of the handle member has been inserted through the opening 26 of the inner bearing plate, the handle member is turned to dis pose the flattened end in horizontal position out of registry with the notches 28 of the opening. The latch bar 12 is then put in place by inserting the inner end thereof in the slot 31 of the bearing plate flange 30 and swinging the outer end of the latch bar in wardly to enter the flattened end 21 in the longitudinal slot 33 of the latch bar. The retaining clip 14 which has been slipped onto the latch bar 12 from the inner end thereof, as shown in Fig. 4, is then properly positioned with respect to the keeper 4 and se-. cured to the face of the door by means of the screws 16, the outer free end of the spring 34 being inserted into the opening 36 of the latch bar as the bar is swung against the face of the door. The slot 18 in the retaining clip 14 is of a suflicient length to permit the latch bar to ride over the inclined guide faces 11 of the keeper 4 and snap into engagement with the notches 10, the upper end of the slot being so positioned that the latch bar held by,

the spring against said end of the slot by the spring 34 will engage with the inclined lower guide surface of the keeper 4 as the door is swung from open to closed position.

The flattened end 21 of the handle fitting in the slot 31 of the latch bar provides a rigid operating connection between the handle and latch bar and the handle member is positively held against outward or inward movement, since the flattened end of the handle does not come into registry with the notches 28 within the range of movement with the latch bar and the latch bar 12 prevents movement of the handle in the opposite direction.

It will be observed that the spring 34 is held in place by the bearing plate 20 and latch bar and that the latch bar handle and spring are held in place by the bearing plate and retaining clip, so that no fastening devices are required other than the screws for attaching the clip and bearing plate to the door.

Furthermore, it is to be understood that the particular form of apparatus shown and described, and the particular procedure set forth, are presented for purposes of explanation and illustration and that various modifications of said apparatus and procedure can be made without departing from my invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A door latch comprising an operating handle having a pivot portion adapted to eX- tend through the door, which terminates in a flattened and widened end, a latch bar having a slot in which said flattened end of the handle fits, a bearing member having an opening in which the pivot portion of said handle is rotatably supported, said opening being notched to permit passage of the flattened end of the handle, and means for retaining the latch bar on the flattened end of the handle comprising retaining members secured to the door and engaging the latch bar on opposite sides of said opening, said retaining members permitting limited swinging movement of the latch bar.

2. A door latch comprising an operating handle having a pivot portion adapted to eX- tend through the door which terminates in a flattened and widened end, a latch bar having a slot adjacent its inner end to receive the flattened end of the handle, a bearing plate for attachment to the face of the door which has an outwardly projecting portion provided with a slot to receive the inner end of the latch bar and having an opening in which the pivot portion of the handle fits, said opening being provided with notches at the upper and lower sides thereof to permit passage of the flattened end of the handle member, and a retaining clip for attachment to the face of the door adjacent the free edge thereof which has a slot to receive the latch bar.

3. A door latch comprising an operating handle having a pivot portion adapted to eX- tend through the door, which terminates in a flattened and widened end, a latch bar having a slot adjacent its inner end to receive the flattened end of the handle, a bearing plate for attachment to the face of the door, said bearing plate having a central portion offset outwardly from the face of the door and provided with an opening in which the bearing portion of the handle member fits, said opening being provided with notches on the upper and lower sides thereof to permit passage of the flattened end of the handle member, said bearing plate having an outwardly projecting flange to the inner side of said opening, which is provided with a slot to receive the inner end of the latch bar and a retaining clip for attachment to the face of the door adjacent the free edge thereof,

said clip being provided with a slot to receive the latch bar.

4. A door latch comprising an operating handle having a pivot portion adapted to eX- tend-through the door, which terminates in flattened and widened end, a latch bar having a slot in which said flattened end of the handle fits, a bearing member having an opening in which the pivot portion of said handle is rotatably supported, said opening being notched to permit passage of the flattened end of the handle, and means for retaining the latch bar on the flattened end of the handle comprising retaining members secured to the door and engaging the latch bar on opposite sides of said opening, an actuating spring having a fixed end interposed between the bearing plate and the face of the door and its opposite movable end connected to the latch bar and interposed between the latch bar and the face of the door, and a retaining clip for attachment to the face of the door adjacent the free edge thereof, which has a slot to receive the latch bar.

55 In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

HARRIS M. WHITCOMB. 

